4/06/2011

Indiana passes guns in parked cars bill

Last year, the Indiana General Assembly approved a bill that ensures workers can keep guns in their vehicles while parked on an employer's property.

This year, the legislature has passed a measure that builds on that by prohibiting employers from asking their workers about any firearms they might be storing in their vehicles.

The state House of Representatives on Tuesday voted 80-17 in favor of Senate Bill 411. Its next destination is Gov. Mitch Daniels' desk to be signed into law.

The bill approved last year was intended to prevent employers from banning firearms from their parking lots, where workers might want to use their vehicles to store legally licensed guns for hunting or self-defense.

"Since that bill has passed, we've had some Indiana employers begin to place onerous requirements on both employees and prospective employees," said Rep. Sean Eberhart, a Shelbyville Republican who sponsored S.B. 411 in the House.

Eberhart said some companies have asked workers to provide information about firearms and ammunition they own, and required them to park in separate lots. . . .